DSpace Collection:http://hdl.handle.net/10197/7
Wed, 19 Dec 2018 10:07:34 GMT2018-12-19T10:07:34ZDSpace Collection:https://researchrepository.ucd.ie:443/retrieve/4/geary_logo.jpghttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/7
The Troika’s variations on a trio: Why the loan programmes worked so differently in Greece, Ireland, and Portugalhttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/9573
Abstract: Portugal and Ireland exited Troika loan programmes; Greece did not. The conventional narrative is that different outcomes are best explained by differences in national competences in implementing programme requirements. This paper argues that three factors distinguish the Greek experience from that of Ireland and Portugal: different economic, political, and institutional starting conditions; the ad hoc nature of the European institutions’ approach to crisis resolution; and the very different conditionalities built into each of the loan programmes as a result. Ireland and Portugal show some signs of recovery despite austerity measures, but Greece has been burdened beyond all capacity to recover convincingly.
Title: The Troika’s variations on a trio: Why the loan programmes worked so differently in Greece, Ireland, and PortugalTue, 17 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/95732017-10-17T00:00:00ZHow do ideas shape national preferences? The Financial Transaction Tax in Irelandhttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/9572
Abstract: European countries have been required to formulate a national preference in relation to the EU Financial Transaction Tax. The two leading approaches to explaining how the financial sector makes its views felt in the political process – the structural power of the financial services sector based on potential disinvestment, and its instrumental power arising from direct political lobbying – fall short of providing a comprehensive account. The missing link is how and why policy-makers might be willing to adopt the priorities of key sectors of the financial services industry. We outline how two levels of ideational power might be at work in shaping outcomes, using Ireland as a case study. We argue firstly that background systems of shared knowledge that are institutionalized in policy networks generated broad ideational convergence between the financial sector and policymakers over the priorities of industrial policy in general. Secondly, and against that backdrop, debate over specific policy choices can leave room for a wider range of disagreement and indeed political and ideational contestation. Irish policymakers proved responsive to industry interests in the case of the FTT, but not for the reasons normally given. This work seeks to link literatures in two fields of inquiry. It poses questions for liberal intergovernmentalism in suggesting that the translation of structurally grounded material interests into national policy preferences is far from automatic, and argues that this is mediated by ideational considerations that are often under-estimated. It also contributes to our understanding of how constructivist explanations of policy outcomes work in practice, through a detailed case study of how material and ideational interests interact.
Title: How do ideas shape national preferences? The Financial Transaction Tax in IrelandTue, 17 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/95722017-10-17T00:00:00ZDo highly liquid banks insulate their lending behavior?http://hdl.handle.net/10197/9400
Abstract: The role of banks in the transmission of monetary policy has been of significance lately. We aim to analyse the bank lending behaviour during changes in monetary policy. We test for loan supply shifts by segregating banks based on their liquidity along with size and capital ratio. This paper employs uninsured, non-reservable liabilities such as time deposits and investigates whether banks are able to insulate themselves during a monetary policy change. We find that the loan supply shock can be neutralized post monetary policy changes. Furthermore, the less liquid and small banks are unable to carry out such operations and are more affected by monetary shocks. This has important implication in the working of commercial banks and effects of monetary policy.
Title: Do highly liquid banks insulate their lending behavior?Sat, 09 Sep 2017 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/94002017-09-09T00:00:00ZThe Impact of Terrorism on Well-being: Evidence from the Boston Marathon Bombinghttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/9399
Abstract: A growing literature concludes that terrorism impacts the economy, yet less is known about its impact on utility. This paper estimates the impact of the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing on well-being, by exploiting representative U.S. daily data. Using both a regression discontinuity and an event study design, whereby the 2012 Boston marathon serves as a counterfactual, we find a sharp reduction in well-being, equivalent to a two percentage point rise in annual unemployment. The effect is stronger for women and those living in nearby States, but does not persist beyond one week, thus demonstrating the resilience of well-being to terrorism.
Title: The Impact of Terrorism on Well-being: Evidence from the Boston Marathon BombingFri, 25 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/93992017-08-25T00:00:00ZInternational Migration in Ireland, 2016http://hdl.handle.net/10197/9398
Abstract: This working paper is the Irish report to the OECD Expert Group on Migration. As such, the focus of the report is largely shaped by the reporting requirements for the preparation of the annual OECD International Migration Outlook. The purpose of the paper is to outline major developments and trends in migration and integration data and policy. The principal reference year is 2015, although information relating to early-2016 is included where available and relevant. The Executive Summary provides an overview of the main findings of the report. Section 2 discusses the main developments in migration and integration policy in Ireland in 2015, including topics related to migration in the public debate. Section 3 discusses the statistics on inward and outward migration movements. Section 4 examines trends in the population. Migration and the labour market are discussed in Section 5. Section 6 describes developments in relation to forced and voluntary return.
Title: International Migration in Ireland, 2016Tue, 08 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/93982017-08-08T00:00:00ZA primordial attachment to the nation? French and Irish workers and trade unions in past EU referendum debateshttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/9270
Abstract: We aim to contribute to a better understanding of the dynamics that are driving EU politicisation and the rising Euroscepticism of workers and unions in the public sphere. One explanation frames the rise in Euroscepticism in cultural terms, emphasising workers' alleged primordial attachment to their nation. A second uses socio-economic frames, linking growing Euroscepticism to the increasingly neo-liberal direction of the EU. The weight of these competing frames in the referendum campaigns on the EU Constitution in France and the Lisbon Treaty and the Fiscal Treaty in Ireland cannot be measured easily, as the categorisation of a phrase as socio-economic or cultural is in itself subject to political classification struggles. We therefore presents the findings of an inductive lexical analysis of all Irish Times, all Le Monde and all worker- or union-related articles published in almost all national media outlets during the mentioned referendum debates. This was made possible by the Alceste software package that allowed us to analyse very large corpuses of articles inductively. Our analysis reveals that socio-economic terms dominated policy debates in both countries. The findings question existing EU politicisation studies that were measuring the salience of different frame types by deductive analysis.
Title: A primordial attachment to the nation? French and Irish workers and trade unions in past EU referendum debatesSun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/92702017-01-01T00:00:00ZHow do ideas shape national preferences? The Financial Transaction Tax in Irelandhttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/9205
Abstract: European countries have been required to formulate a national preference in relation to the EU Financial Transaction Tax. The two leading approaches to explaining how the financial sector makes its views felt in the political process – the structural power of the financial services sector based on potential disinvestment, and its instrumental power arising from direct political lobbying – fall short of providing a comprehensive account. The missing link is how and why policy-makers might be willing to adopt the priorities of key sectors of the financial services industry. We outline how two levels of ideational power might be at work in shaping outcomes, using Ireland as a case study. We argue firstly that background systems of shared knowledge that are institutionalized in policy networks generated broad ideational convergence between the financial sector and policymakers over the priorities of industrial policy in general. Secondly, and against that backdrop, debate over specific policy choices can leave room for a wider range of disagreement and indeed political and ideational contestation. Irish policymakers proved responsive to industry interests in the case of the FTT, but not for the reasons normally given. This work seeks to link literatures in two fields of inquiry. It poses questions for liberal intergovernmentalism in suggesting that the translation of structurally grounded material interests into national policy preferences is far from automatic, and argues that this is mediated by ideational considerations that are often under-estimated. It also contributes to our understanding of how constructivist explanations of policy outcomes work in practice, through a detailed case study of how material and ideational interests interact.
Title: How do ideas shape national preferences? The Financial Transaction Tax in IrelandSun, 01 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/92052017-10-01T00:00:00ZTenure Mixing to Combat Public Housing Stigmatization: external benefits, internal challenges and contextual influences in three Dublin neighbourhoodshttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/9179
Abstract: Combatting stigma in public housing is a key concern among policy makers in the Republic of Ireland and internationally and this paper critically assesses the mechanism most commonly employed to achieve this – ‘income mixing’ or ‘poverty deconcentration’ of public rented neighbourhoods by encouraging households with a wider mix of incomes to live there. This is most commonly achieved by ‘tenure mixing’ - providing private housing alongside public housing on the grounds that occupants of the former tenure tend to have higher incomes than occupants of the latter. To do this the paper draws together empirical research on three public housing neighbourhoods in Dublin - Ireland’s capital and largest city - and insights from the critical geography and urban studies literature, to critically examine the effectiveness of tenure mixing as a public housing destigmatizing tool. The analysis presented here demonstrates that tenure mixing often produces contradictory results – in terms of reduced external stigma but heightened internal or within neighbourhood stigmatization. It links these outcomes to the policy and socio-economic contextual factors which we argue which play a central but underappreciated role in shaping the implementation of tenure mixing and its impact on public housing stigmatization.
Title: Tenure Mixing to Combat Public Housing Stigmatization: external benefits, internal challenges and contextual influences in three Dublin neighbourhoodsMon, 08 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/91792018-01-08T00:00:00ZHousing Market Volatility,Stability and Social Rented Housing: comparing Austria and Ireland during the global financial crisishttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/8640
Abstract: Since the 1970s the prevalence and duration of housing market booms has increased in developed countries as has the busts which followed them. These developments and particularly their occurrence in a large number of countries simultaneously were key contributors to the global financial crisis of 2008. The literature on this crisis has focused primarily on the role of mortgage markets and home-ownership in driving housing booms and busts and also on the countries which have experienced the strongest busts, particularly in the English-speaking world. Despite the large number of social rented dwellings in Western Europe, the role of this sector has been largely neglected in the literature. This paper aims to address these omissions by the interaction of social housing and the housing market in Ireland, which experienced a specular housing market boom in the 1990s and strong bust in the 2000s and Austria which has a long tradition of housing market stability. It argues that social housing played a central but contrasting role shaping the housing market dynamics in these two countries. In Ireland social housing was pro-cyclical – it accelerated the housing market boom and intensified the bust - whereas Austrian social housing had a counter cyclical impact on the housing market and thereby helped to promote price stability. These outcomes were partially reflected in the different social housing policy regimes in use in these countries - Austria represents a 'unitary' and Ireland a 'dualist' housing regime in housing regime in Kemeny's (1995) typology. In addition, the sources of finance for social housing and the use of demand-side or supply-side subsidies were also important drivers of these contrasting outcomes.
Title: Housing Market Volatility,Stability and Social Rented Housing: comparing Austria and Ireland during the global financial crisisSun, 26 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/86402017-02-26T00:00:00ZMixed-Frequency Macro-Financial Spillovershttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/8482
Abstract: We develop a new methodology to analyse spillovers between the real and financial sides of the economy that employs a mixed-frequency modelling approach. This enables high-frequency financial and low-frequency macroeconomic data series to be employed directly, avoiding the data aggregation and information loss incurred when using common-frequency methods. In a detailed analysis of macro-financial spillovers for the US economy, we find that the additional high-frequency information preserved by our mixed-frequency approach results in estimated spillovers that are typically substantially higher than those from an analogous common-frequency approach and are more consistent with known in-sample events. We also show that financial markets are typically net transmitters of shocks to the real side of the economy, particularly during turbulent market conditions, but that the bond and equity markets act heterogeneously in both transmitting and receiving shocks to the non-financial sector. We observe substantial short and medium-run variation in macro-financial spillovers that is statistically associated with key variables related to financial and macroeconomic fundamentals; the values of the term spread, VIX and unemployment rate in particular appear to be important determinants of macro- financial spillovers.
Title: Mixed-Frequency Macro-Financial SpilloversSun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/84822017-01-01T00:00:00ZHeterogeneity in early life investments: a longitudinal analysis of children's time usehttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/8481
Abstract: Early life investments in children promote skills and capabilities, and subsequently influence a variety of health, social, and economic outcomes in later life. In this paper, we examine heterogeneity in children’s time use using diary data from two waves of a nationally representative longitudinal cohort study. Children from disadvantaged households spend significantly less time reading and engaging in sport than their counterparts, and more time in unstructured activities and using media. Though gaps are relatively small at age 9, they widen considerably over time. At age 13, girls in households with low maternal education spend on average 6 minutes per day reading (95% CI 3-10) and 12 minutes per day in sport (95% CI 8-16), while girls in households with high maternal education spend 14 minutes reading (95% CI 11-17) and 27 minutes in sport (95% CI 23-31). Similar differences were found for boys. Using a decomposition analysis, we find that resources, preferences, initial endowments, and differential costs all play a role in explaining time use concentration across households, indicating that disadvantaged families may be constrained in how they choose their preferred time use options. Given the important role of extra-curricular activities in promoting cognitive and non-cognitive skill development, the systematic differences in time use we document in this paper are likely to contribute to cumulative disadvantage and widening skill gaps over adolescence and into adulthood.
Title: Heterogeneity in early life investments: a longitudinal analysis of children's time useSun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/84812017-01-01T00:00:00ZImpact of a text messaging program on adolescent reproductive health: a cluster-randomized trial in Ghanahttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/8480
Abstract: Objectives. To evaluate whether text-messaging programs can improve reproductive health among adolescent girls in low- and middle-income countries. Methods. We conducted a cluster–randomized controlled trial among 756 female students aged 14 to 24 years in Accra, Ghana, in 2014. We randomized 38 schools to unidirectional intervention (n=12), interactive intervention (n=12), and control (n=14). The unidirectional intervention sent participants text messages with reproductive health information. The interactive intervention engaged adolescents in text-messaging reproductive health quiz games. The primary study outcome was reproductive health knowledge at 3 and 15 months. Additional outcomes included self-reported pregnancy and sexual behavior. Analysis was by intent-to-treat. Results. From baseline to 3 months, the unidirectional intervention increased knowledge by 11 percentage points (95% confidence interval [CI]=7, 15) and the interactive intervention by 24 percentage points (95% CI=19, 28), from a control baseline of 26%. Although we found no changes in reproductive health outcomes overall, both unidirectional (odds ratio [OR]=0.14; 95% CI=0.03, 0.71) and interactive interventions (OR=0.15; 95% CI=0.03, 0.86) lowered odds of self-reported pregnancy for sexually active participants. Conclusions. Text-messaging programs can lead to large improvements in reproductive health knowledge and have the potential to lower pregnancy risk for sexually active adolescent girls.
Title: Impact of a text messaging program on adolescent reproductive health: a cluster-randomized trial in GhanaThu, 12 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/84802017-01-12T00:00:00ZCeltic phoenix or leprechaun economics? The politics of an FDI led growth model in Europehttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/8479
Abstract: In this paper we argue that Ireland’s post-crisis economic recovery in Europe was driven by foreign direct investment (FDI) from Silicon Valley, and whilst this growth model was made possible by Ireland’s low corporate tax rates, it was also a result of these firms using Ireland to directly access the European labour market. We evidence this contention via sectoral and geographic analyses while simultaneously showing that Irish fiscal policies have not redistributed gains from the recovery to the broader population. As a result, the economic recovery has been most actively felt by those in the FDI sectors, including foreign-national workers from the EU and beyond. We suggest that this experience indicates that Ireland’s FDI-led model of economic development has created clear winners and losers, with significant distributional implications. The FDI growth regime been made possible by inward migration and European integration, but given the unequal distribution of the economic benefits that this generates, it is unlikely to be politically, or electorally, sustainable.
Title: Celtic phoenix or leprechaun economics? The politics of an FDI led growth model in EuropeSun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/84792017-01-01T00:00:00ZSocial housing's role in the Irish property boom and busthttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/8478
Abstract: This paper argues, however, that the economic role of social housing has been fundamentally transformed over recent decades. The nature of this transformation plays an important part in understanding Ireland’s property boom and bust, and in understanding the nature of the current crisis in t he social housing sector. As elsewhere, the crisis commenced following the bursting of a pr operty bubble in 2007, but worsened considerably with the global financial cri sis the following year and resulted in the Irish government nationalising almost the entir e banking system in 2009 and negotiating an emergency loan from the European Uni on and the IMF to fund public spending and the bank bailout in 2010.
Title: Social housing's role in the Irish property boom and bustMon, 21 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/84782016-11-21T00:00:00ZEconomic stress and the great recession in Ireland:- the erosion of social class advantagehttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/8193
Abstract: In this paper we address claims that the impact of the Great Recession in Ireland has led to increased class polarization with the burden of the adjustment being disproportionately borne by the vulnerable. Rather than observing social class polarization, we find evidence for 'middle class squeeze' involving the self-employed and a significant erosion of the advantage associated with the higher social classes. The changing impact of social class was related to a change in the distribution of persons across classes but more importantly to a weakening of the degree of association between social class and income group and a changing pattern of interaction between them. The cumulative impact of these changes meant that by 2012 social class had no impact on economic stress net of income group. Our findings are consistent with an erosion of the buffering role of social class within the lower income categories associated with the pervasive effects of the economic crisis. Our analysis elaborates onthe reasons why what from an income perspective can appear as deterioration in theposition of the income poor can from a social class perspective reappear as middle class squeeze. In our conclusion we consider why our findings seem so much at variance with most of the commentary on the distributional impact of austerity in Ireland.
Title: Economic stress and the great recession in Ireland:- the erosion of social class advantageWed, 09 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/81932016-11-09T00:00:00ZNowhere to run, nowhere to hide: asset diversification in a flat worldhttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/8192
Abstract: We present new international diversification indexes across equity, sovereign debt, and real estate. The indexes reveal a marked and near ubiquitous decline in diversification potential across asset classes and markets for the post-2000 period.Analysis of panel data suggests that the decline is related to higher levels of market credit risk and volatility as well as to technology and communications innovation as proxied by internet diffusion. The decline in diversification opportunity is associated with sharply higher levels of investment risk.
Title: Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide: asset diversification in a flat worldWed, 26 Oct 2016 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/81922016-10-26T00:00:00ZFactors associated with breastfeeding initiation: A comparison between France and French-speaking Canadahttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/8190
Abstract: Background: Breastfeeding is associated with multiple domains of health for both mothers and children. Nevertheless, breastfeeding initiation is low within certain developed countries. Furthermore, comparative studies of initiation rates using harmonised data across multiple regions is scarce. Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate and compare individual-level determinants of breastfeeding initiation using two French-speaking cohorts. Methods: Participants included ~ 3,900 mothers enrolled in two cohort studies in Canada and France. Interviews, questionnaires, and medical records were utilised to collect information on maternal, family, and medical factors associated with breastfeeding initiation. Results: Rates of breastfeeding initiation were similar across cohorts, slightly above 70%. Women in both Canada and France who had higher levels of maternal education, were born outside of their respective countries and who did not smoke during pregnancy were more likely to initiate breastfeeding with the cohort infant. Notably, cohort effects of maternal education at the university level were found, whereby having 'some university' was not statistically significant for mothers in France. Further, younger mothers in Canada, who delivered by caesarean section and who had previous children had reduced odds of breastfeeding initiation. These results were not found for mothers in France. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: While some similar determinants were observed, programming efforts to increase breastfeeding initiation should be tailored to the characteristics of specific geographical regions which may be heavily impacted by the social, cultural and political climate of the region, in addition to individual and family level factors.
Title: Factors associated with breastfeeding initiation: A comparison between France and French-speaking CanadaWed, 30 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/81902016-11-30T00:00:00ZPhonological awareness, vocabulary and internalizing behavior. A closer look at the associations in preschoolers using a structural equation modeling approachhttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/8117
Abstract: This study examined the associations among phonological awareness skills, expressive vocabulary and children’s internalizing behavior within a preschool setting. Method: Ninetyfour children (48 boys, 46 girls) were recruited from 11 schools serving low-income neighborhoods in a large metropolitan city. All children were assessed at the beginning and end of the preschool year using a mixed-methods approach. Children completed standardized assessments of phonological awareness skills and expressive vocabulary. Teacher reports were used to assess children’s internalizing behavior. A structural equation model was estimated to test for moderating effects of children’s sex. Results: The model fit the data well and revealed that poorer phonological awareness skills at the beginning of the year, but not vocabulary, predicted increased internalizing behavior at the end of the year, even after accounting for initial internalizing behavior. The association was moderated by the child’s sex and was significant for boys only. Conclusion: Poorer phonological awareness skills are associated with increased solitary behavior over time, with the association already present in the preschool years. However, the association at this age was only found for boys. These results might suggest that for boys, the academic skill level that they enter into preschool with may exert a small role in their ease of social engagement with peers within a classroom setting.
Title: Phonological awareness, vocabulary and internalizing behavior. A closer look at the associations in preschoolers using a structural equation modeling approachFri, 30 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/81172016-09-30T00:00:00ZDevelopmental Associations between Conduct Problems and Expressive Language in Early Childhood: A Population-Based Studyhttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/8060
Abstract: Conduct problems have been associated with poor language development, however the direction of this association in early childhood remains unclear. This study examined the longitudinal directional associations between conduct problems and expressive language ability. Children enrolled in the UK Millennium Cohort Study (N = 14, 004; 50.3 % boys) were assessed at 3 and 5 years of age. Parent reports of conduct problems and standardised assessments of expressive language were analyzed using cross-lagged modeling. Conduct problems at 3 years was associated with poorer expressive language at 5 years and poorer expressive language at 3 years was associated with increased conduct problems by 5 years. The results support reciprocal associations, rather than a specific unidirectional path, which is commonly found with samples of older children. The emergence of problems in either domain can thus negatively impact upon the other over time, albeit the effects were modest. Studies examining the effects of intervention targeting conduct problems and language acquisition prior to school entry may be warranted in testing the efficacy of prevention programmes related to conduct problems and poor language ability early in childhood.
Other Titles: Conduct problems and language
Title: Developmental Associations between Conduct Problems and Expressive Language in Early Childhood: A Population-Based StudyMon, 01 Aug 2016 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/80602016-08-01T00:00:00ZExpressive language and prosocial behaviour in early childhood: Longitudinal associations in the UK Millennium Cohort Studyhttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/8057
Abstract: Background: Early childhood is a crucial period for language development and building social skills. While distinct, these two processes may impact upon each other. Aims: The current study aimed to identify the directional associations between expressive language ability and prosocial behaviour between three and five years of age. Methods: Participants included 14, 004 children and their families enrolled in the UK Millennium Cohort Study (MCS). Children’s expressive language and prosocial behaviour were assessed at three and five years of age utilizing standardized assessments and parent reports. Cross-lagged models were used for data analysis. Results: Better expressive language at three years was associated with increased prosocial behaviour by five years. No support for the inverse direction of association was found. Conclusions: Children’s early ability to effectively express themselves with others may help in building better social relationships by entry into formal schooling. Programming efforts that are tailored towards enhancing positive behavioural growth and social skills in the toddler years are likely to be effective when expressive language is also a targeted component of the toddler’s skill development.
Title: Expressive language and prosocial behaviour in early childhood: Longitudinal associations in the UK Millennium Cohort StudyFri, 29 Jul 2016 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/80572016-07-29T00:00:00ZLabor-Market Specialization within Same-Sex and Different-Sex Coupleshttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/7884
Abstract: We use data from the 2000 decennial Census to compare differences in earnings, hours worked, and labor-force participation between members of different household types, including same-sex couples, different-sex couples, and roommates. Both same-sex and different-sex couples exhibit some degree of household specialization, whereas roommates show little or no degree of specialization. Of all household types, married couples exhibit by far the highest degree of specialization with respect to labor-market outcomes. With respect to differences in earnings and hours, gay male couples are more similar to married couples than lesbian or unmarried heterosexual couples are to married couples.
Title: Labor-Market Specialization within Same-Sex and Different-Sex CouplesFri, 19 Dec 2014 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/78842014-12-19T00:00:00ZSelf-reported health in good times and in bad: Ireland in the 21st centuryhttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/7859
Abstract: The Great Recession has renewed interest in whether and how health responds to macroeconomic changes. Ireland provides a convenient natural experiment to examine this since a period of sustained high growth and low unemployment – the so-called Celtic Tiger period- gave way to a deep recession following the economic crisis in 2008. We use data from the Statistics on Income and Living Conditions survey (SILC), to explore what happened to self-reported health over the period 2002-2014. While some sub-populations experienced pro-cyclical effects on self-rated health, in general we find no evidence that the proportion of the population in poor health was higher after the onset of the economic crisis. However a multivariate model implies that there was some effect at the top of the health distribution with a higher unemployment rate switching individuals from being in “very good health” to “good health”. Effect sizes are much larger for females than males.
Title: Self-reported health in good times and in bad: Ireland in the 21st centuryMon, 01 Aug 2016 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/78592016-08-01T00:00:00ZBritain's New Housing Precariat: Housing Wealth Pathways out of Homeownershiphttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/7730
Abstract: Most Britons aspire to own their home outright before retirement. This article looks at the rocky road from the edges of ownership, where home buyers are trying to cope with pressing spending needs and mortgage repayments, towards outright ownership. Using the British Household Panel Study (BHPS), sequence analysis is applied to describe the housing wealth pathways of mortgagors as they strive to achieve outright ownership. The study pays particular attention to the risks that mortgagors are exposed to, and the tactics they employ as mortgage managers. A minority is trapped on the edges of ownership. Multinomial regression model estimates suggest that this new housing precariat is more likely to be female, younger, experience a relationship breakup, high mortgage-income ratios and have an additional child in the household. For this housing precariat, homeownership is not a safety net; it becomes a liability that exposes mortgagors to new social risks. These emerging social risks warrant policy intervention targeted on vulnerable home owner groups.
Title: Britain's New Housing Precariat: Housing Wealth Pathways out of HomeownershipThu, 02 Jun 2016 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/77302016-06-02T00:00:00ZPrioritizing the 'worse off' under attainability constraints: An indeterminacy problem for distributive fairnesshttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/7691
Abstract: Numerous theories of distributive fairness promote the idea that we ought to give extra weight to benefits to the worse off and can thereby be seen as promoting gap closures. This paper underlines the relevance of making a distinction between attainable and ideal target levels for individuals in populations affected by distributive fairness and show that in cases of scarce resources, theories that promote aggregate gap closures and prioritization of the worse off can in view of this distinction be interpreted in three mutually inconsistent ways.
Title: Prioritizing the 'worse off' under attainability constraints: An indeterminacy problem for distributive fairnessFri, 01 Apr 2016 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/76912016-04-01T00:00:00ZInternational Migration in Ireland, 2015http://hdl.handle.net/10197/7690
Abstract: This working paper is the Irish report to the OECD Expert Group on Migration. As such,
the focus of the report is largely shaped by the reporting requirements for the
preparation of the annual OECD International Migration Outlook. The purpose of the
paper is to outline major developments and trends in migration and integration data
and policy. The principal reference year is 2014, although information relating to early-
2015 is included where available and relevant. The Executive Summary provides an overview of the main findings of the report. Section 2 discusses the main developments in migration and integration policy in Ireland in 2014, including topics related to migration in the public debate. Section 3 discusses the statistics on inward and outward migration movements. Section 4 examines trends in the population. Migration and the labour market are discussed in Section 5.
Title: International Migration in Ireland, 2015Sun, 01 May 2016 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/76902016-05-01T00:00:00ZThe Great Recession and the Changing Distribution of Economic Stress across Income Classes and the Life Course in Ireland: A Comparative Perspectivehttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/7649
Abstract: The impact of the Great Recession led to changes in the distribution of economic stress across the life course in Ireland, one of the countries severely affected by the economic crisis. Our peak to trough analysis shows that in Ireland in 2008 there was a clear life course gradient in relation to economic stress with children occupying the most favourable and the elderly the least favourable position. Over time the gradient became sharper with the relative position of younger groups deteriorating. In 2008 life course differentiation was significantly sharper for the precarious and poverty classes than for the high income groups. For the former graduated differentiation across the range of the life course was evident while for the latter the primary contrast was between the elderly and all other stages. Thus the major line of differentiation in terms of both overall stress levels and their patterning across the life course was between the precarious and poor income classes and the high income group. While stress levels increased for all groups between 2008 and 2012, within the high income class the elderly group saw their relative position particularly enhanced while children experienced the sharpest deterioration. Among the precarious and poor classes, the elderly again experienced an improvement in their relative position while for the former the sharpest deterioration was experienced by the older middle aged group and for the latter the younger middle aged group. Thus while the elderly experienced a cross class improvement in their relative position for other life course stage the impact of the crisis was contingent on income class. That the Irish pattern of change was not an inevitable outcome of the economic crisis is illustrated by the fact that in Iceland a similar starting produced a quite different set of changes involving an erosion of life course differentials in the impact of precarity and poverty. Greece on the other hand provides an example of the emergence of life course differentiation where the prerecession period was characterised by their absence. Clearly policy choices not only affect such differentiation but the extent to which they operate differentially across income cases.
Title: The Great Recession and the Changing Distribution of Economic Stress across Income Classes and the Life Course in Ireland: A Comparative PerspectiveTue, 26 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/76492016-01-26T00:00:00ZAusterity in the European periphery: the Irish experiencehttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/7648
Abstract: Ireland has come to be seen as an exemplary case of the successful practice of austerity, both economically and politically. But these inferences would be misleading. The real story about fiscal adjustments in Ireland is more problematic, the reasons for recovery are more complex, and the political consequences are a good deal more nuanced. This paper sets the Irish experience alongside that of the other Eurozone periphery countries. It argues that these countries' recovery prospects depend on the EU economic policy framework, but that Ireland’s connections to non-Eurozone economies also shape its growth prospects. Political stability is problematic in all the periphery countries, with the rise of challenger parties articulating values and priorities that may be difficult to accommodate within the current European policy regime. This is connected to a wider problem of the decay of older political identities and loyalties and the emergence of a new legitimation gap for EU member states.
Title: Austerity in the European periphery: the Irish experienceThu, 28 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/76482016-01-28T00:00:00ZNon-cognitive development in infancy: the influence of maternal employment and the mediating role of childcarehttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/7645
Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between maternal employment during infancy and the non-cognitive development of pre-school children. Noncognitive skills such as self-control, emotional regulation, empathy and patience are at least as important as cognitive skills for personal development and later labour market success. Drawing on recent advances in the economics literature on the theory of skill formation, this study uses data on Irish pre-school children (Growing Up in Ireland, Infant Cohort) to examine the influence of maternal employment in infancy on children’s non-cognitive skills. Propensity score matching addresses the issue of potential selection bias and mediation analysis is used to investigate possible mechanisms for the effect of maternal employment, in particular the role of childcare, parental stress, quality of parent-child attachment and income. Using the score derived from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) to identify a problematic behavioural score at 3 years, no significant effects are found for maternal employment at 9 months. However, when heterogeneity is investigated, effects are identified for children from less advantaged backgrounds, as measured by maternal education, with full-time maternal employment at 9 months having a significant and detrimental effect on non-cognitive development at 3 years old. This effect is primarily mediated by childcare choices, such that children in informal childcare at 9 months, particularly unpaid grandparental arrangements, are more likely to have behavioural difficulties at 3 years. While parent-child attachment plays a modest role, income and parental stress do not explain the effect of maternal employment on child socio-emotional scores. When selection on observables is used to assess bias arising from selection on unobservables, maternal employment estimates are determined to be a lower bound. As no adverse effects are found for children from more advantaged backgrounds, policies that support less advantaged families during this sensitive period, such as adequate paid maternity leave and access to quality affordable childcare, should be considered in order to address this inequality.
Title: Non-cognitive development in infancy: the influence of maternal employment and the mediating role of childcareMon, 01 Feb 2016 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/76452016-02-01T00:00:00ZEmployment and the Risk of Domestic Violence: Does the Breadwinner's Gender Matter?http://hdl.handle.net/10197/7644
Abstract: This paper studies the effect on the risk of female victimization of the employment statuses of both partners, conditional on income and a set of sociodemographic characteristics. Using cross-sectional data from the Violence Against Women (VAW) surveys for Spain in 1999, 2002, and 2006, we address the potential endogeneity of employment and income variables using a multivariate probit model. We exploit geographical-level information on employment and unemployment rates by gender and age, and on household income, to identify the parameters of the model. Our estimation results, for which proper account of the endogeneity problem proves critical, show that male partner employment plays a major role in the risk of physical violence, while female employment only lowers the risk of violence when her partner is employed too. The lowest risk of physical abuse appears for more egalitarian couples in which both partners are employed.
Title: Employment and the Risk of Domestic Violence: Does the Breadwinner's Gender Matter?Tue, 01 Mar 2016 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/76442016-03-01T00:00:00ZPrivatising Public Housing Redevelopment: grassroots resistance, co-operation and devastation in three Dublin neighbourhoodshttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/7643
Abstract: This paper examines variations in residents' responses to proposals to redevelop three public housing neighbourhoods in Dublin using Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) and the outcomes their resistance achieved. In two of these neighbourhoods community representative structures were strong and although one community co-operated with the PPP plans and the other opposed them, both were broadly successful in achieving their campaign objectives. Community structures in the third case-study area were weak however and the imposition of PPP redevelopment devastated this neighbourhood which is now almost entirely vacant. This case study is employed to critique the literature on grassroots resistance to urban redevelopment and welfare state restructuring and social housing development policy in Ireland. The paper concludes that, contrary to many researchers’ assumptions, residents' political action and resistance can significantly influence on public housing redevelopment strategies despite the dominance of neoliberal and entrepreneurial governance regimes. However, for vulnerable communities were representative structures are weak, the over-emphasis on gentrification/ social mixing and refurbishing the built environment in Irish public housing development policy can have devastating consequences. Indeed, demolition and rebuilding programmes in particular can destabilise target neighbourhoods to the extent that the residents who ultimately enjoy the benefits of public housing redevelopment are largely or entirely different from those who campaigned for its instigation.
Title: Privatising Public Housing Redevelopment: grassroots resistance, co-operation and devastation in three Dublin neighbourhoodsMon, 01 Feb 2016 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/76432016-02-01T00:00:00ZRevisiting the antisocial punishment across societies experimenthttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/7597
Abstract: This paper presents an alternative interpretation of an experimental public goods game dataset, particularly on the understanding of the observed antisocial behaviour phenomenon between subjects around the world. The anonymous nature of contributions and punishments are taken into account to reinterpret the experimental results by analysing dynamic behaviour in terms of mean contributions across societies and their association with antisocial punishment. Thus, by also taking into account the heterogeneity between the experimented cities, the analysis contrasts with the interpretation of one trend across cities, as the findings indicate two opposite trends in different groups of cities.
Title: Revisiting the antisocial punishment across societies experimentWed, 01 May 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/75972013-05-01T00:00:00ZThe Intervaling Effect on Higher-Order Co-Momentshttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/7468
Abstract: This paper investigates the sensitivity of higher-order co-moments for different return measurement intervals. The levels of systematic skewness and kurtosis are found to be significantly influenced by the length of return interval. An asset preferred because of its positive co-skewness and low co-kurtosis when measured in one particular interval may have negative co-skewness or high co-kurtosis for another interval. We find the intervaling effect varies according to the level of price adjustment delay as proxied by market capitalization and illiquidity. Findings persist for intervals of up to twelve months, and are consistent during both volatile and stable periods.
Title: The Intervaling Effect on Higher-Order Co-MomentsThu, 14 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/74682016-01-14T00:00:00ZEstimating the social value of higher education: willingness to pay for community and technical collegeshttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/7459
Abstract: Much is known about private financial returns to education in the form of higher earnings. Less is known about how much social value exceeds this private value. Associations between education and socially-desirable outcomes are strong, but disentangling the effect of education from other causal factors is challenging. The purpose of this paper is to estimate the social value of one form of higher education. We elicit willingness to pay for the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) directly and compare our estimate of total social value to our estimates of private value in the form of increased earnings. Our earnings estimates are based on two distinct data sets, one administrative and one from the U.S. Census. The difference between the total social value and the increase in earnings is our measure of the education externality and the private, non-market value combined. Our work differs from previous research by focusing on education at the community college level and by eliciting values directly through a stated-preferences survey in a way that yields a total value including any external benefits. Our preferred estimates indicate the social value of expanding the system exceeds private financial value by at least 25% with a best point estimate of nearly 90% and exceeds total private value by at least 15% with a best point estimate of nearly 60%.
Title: Estimating the social value of higher education: willingness to pay for community and technical collegesWed, 01 Jan 2014 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/74592014-01-01T00:00:00ZCredit Default Swaps as Indicators of Bank Financial Distresshttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/7454
Abstract: We examine the ability of CDS contracts written on individual banks to provide market discipline. Changes in CDS spreads are found to represent a robust signal of bank failure, thus providing indirect market discipline. Furthermore, changes in CDS spreads provide information about the condition of banks which supplements that available from equity markets and contained in accounting metrics. Consistent results are detailed for both senior and subordinated CDS spreads. Our results hold for various cohorts, for excess and idiosyncratic changes in CDS and are robust to the use of alternative measures of bank distress, including rating downgrades and accounting risk.
Title: Credit Default Swaps as Indicators of Bank Financial DistressThu, 07 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/74542016-01-07T00:00:00ZDemocracy or Accountability? Governance and Social Spending in Africahttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/7437
Abstract: In recent years, democracy has often served as shorthand for good governance when considering what facilitates development-friendly public expenditure. While recognising the sufficiency of democracy, we argue that it is accountability, achievable outside full democracy, that is the necessary component of governance. However, vague conceptualisations of accountability as 'responsiveness' or 'answerability' have prevented empirical work from exploring the relationship between accountability and public spending. In this paper we develop an understanding of accountability as the interaction between opposition, transparency, and enforcement and test its impact on social spending in Africa in both the presence and absence of electoral institutions.
Title: Democracy or Accountability? Governance and Social Spending in AfricaFri, 15 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/74372016-01-15T00:00:00ZThese Little PIIGS Went to Market: Enterprise Policy and Divergent Recovery in European Peripheryhttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/7413
Abstract: The 2008 financial crisis hit few places harder than the European periphery, where five states, Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain, came to be collectively known as the 'PIIGS'. Yet while the PIIGS experienced a similar adjustment to the crisis, the recoveries have shown significant divergence. Ireland, in particular, has stood out as a beacon of growth, not only in the PIIGS but in all of Europe. We challenge the prevailing narrative that Ireland’s exemplary performance is due to its early and ardent adaptation of fiscal 'austerity' measures. Instead we argue that Ireland’s path dependent, state-led, 'enterprise policy' situated Ireland to be a recipient of foreign direct investment driven by the low borrowing costs, brought on by the United States' Quantitative Easing (QE) programs. Using quantitative and qualitative investigation we find evidence that the latent enterprise policy mechanism – operationalized via the impact of QE on investment projects into Ireland (vis-à-vis the other PIIGS) - rather than increased wage competitiveness via austerity, accounts for Ireland’s recovery from the crisis.
Title: These Little PIIGS Went to Market: Enterprise Policy and Divergent Recovery in European PeripheryTue, 25 Aug 2015 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/74132015-08-25T00:00:00ZCapital controls, financial crisis and the investment saving nexus: Evidence from Icelandhttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/7412
Abstract: We investigate the Feldstein and Horioka (1980) hypothesis for Iceland. First, we analyse the saving-investment (S-I) correlation for the period of restricted capital mobility between 1960 and 1994. We then add a period of free capital mobility between 1994 and 2008 and estimate the correlation for the period 1960-2008. Finally, we extend our analysis to the 2008 to 2014 period, when capital controls were imposed in response to the financial crisis. Finding cointegration between savings and investment for all the three regimes, the evidence shows that the S-I correlation is stronger during the period of capital controls that prevailed in 1960-1994 and becomes weaker when the capital mobility regime is included. However, the correlation weakens further when the post-crisis regime of capital controls is included, which implies that savings and investment are not related during the recent period of crisis and capital controls. The implications of our findings for post-crisis policy making are discussed.
Title: Capital controls, financial crisis and the investment saving nexus: Evidence from IcelandSat, 01 Aug 2015 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/74122015-08-01T00:00:00ZDifferences in Borrowing Behaviour between Core and Peripheral Economies - Economic Environment versus Financial Perceptionshttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/7411
Abstract: Using the Eurosystem Household Finance and Consumption (HFCS) data, this paper identifies the key differences in borrowing behaviour between core and peripheral nations. As such, we focus on non-collateralized debt such as credit card loans, bank overdrafts and other forms of non-collateralized debt, which reflect daily borrowing behaviour more closely than does mortgage debt. We examine the differences in levels and prevalence of these debts, and break down these differences into two major components: financial perceptions and the economic environment. We aim to explain to what extent these influences contribute to the differences in debt ownership and levels of holding between core and peripheral countries in Europe. We found that differences in financial perceptions do contribute to the differences in debt in a significant way, while the economic environment contributes little to this outcome. Households in the European periphery are much more conducive to debt if they have the same financial perceptions as those in the core countries in Europe.
Title: Differences in Borrowing Behaviour between Core and Peripheral Economies - Economic Environment versus Financial PerceptionsMon, 24 Aug 2015 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/74112015-08-24T00:00:00ZMultifamily Housing and Resident Life Satisfaction: Evidence from the European Social Surveyhttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/7410
Abstract: Much of the literature on sustainable communities and compact cities calls for higher density housing including multifamily dwellings. Some case studies suggest problems with such dwellings. However, rigorous comparative research on this topic has not been conducted to date. This paper draws on a high quality, comparative dataset, the European Social Survey, to analyse a) the quality of multifamily dwellings in European urban areas, b) the characteristics of residents of these dwellings, c) their life satisfaction compared with those living in detached housing and d) the relative importance of built form in explaining life satisfaction. One of the main findings from the multivariate analyses is that built form, including residing in multifamily housing, is not a statistically significant predictor of life satisfaction when you control for standard predictors of life satisfaction (e.g. health, employment and income) and housing and neighbourhood quality.
Title: Multifamily Housing and Resident Life Satisfaction: Evidence from the European Social SurveyWed, 12 Aug 2015 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/74102015-08-12T00:00:00ZJob Loss by Wage Level: Lessons from the Great Recession in Irelandhttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/7409
Abstract: This paper explores the pattern of job loss in the Great Recession with a particular focus on its incidence by wage level, using data for Ireland. Ireland experienced a particularly pronounced decline in employment with the onset of the recession by international and historical standards, which makes it a valuable case study. Using EU-SILC data, our analysis identifies which employees were most affected. The results show that the probability of staying in employment, from one year to the next, is positively related to monthly wages both during the boom and in the bust. The gradient with wages, however, is much more marked in the bust, and remains significantly so even after controlling for a range of individual characteristics including part-time status, demographics, education, labour market history, industries or occupations.
Title: Job Loss by Wage Level: Lessons from the Great Recession in IrelandThu, 24 Sep 2015 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/74092015-09-24T00:00:00ZUnderstanding the 2015 Marriage Referendum in Ireland: Constitutional Convention, Campaign, and Conservative Irelandhttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/7386
Abstract: On 22 May 2015 the marriage referendum proposal was passed by a large majority of Irish voters and the definition of marriage in the constitution was broadened to introduce marriage equality. This referendum is remarkable for a number of reasons: (1) it is uniquely based on an experiment in deliberative democracy; (2) the referendum campaign was unusually vigorous and active; and (3) the voting patterns at the referendum point to a significant value shift along the deep seated liberal conservative political cleavage of Irish politics. This article provides an overview of the background to the referendum initiative, the campaign prior to the referendum, and the key factors that drove voter turnout and preference. Based on a post-referendum survey, we find that while support for the government of the day, political knowledge, and social attitudes have the same effects as commonly found in other referendums, the variation among social classes was less prevalent than usual and door-to-door canvassing by the two sides of the campaign impacted through turnout rather than vote preference. The voting behaviour of the different age groups suggests strong generational effects.
Title: Understanding the 2015 Marriage Referendum in Ireland: Constitutional Convention, Campaign, and Conservative IrelandSun, 01 Nov 2015 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/73862015-11-01T00:00:00ZPaying for the Welfare State in the European Peripheryhttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/7385
Abstract: This exploratory paper outlines an approach to the evolution of the tax state in four countries: Ireland, Spain, Portugal, and Greece. It is motivated by our interest in a cluster of countries that are all too often excluded from comparative studies in political economy. Both the volume and the composition of tax revenues in these four countries display somewhat different patterns from those of the wealthier European countries. Their systematic exclusion may distort comparative generalizations in important ways. We focus here on three analytical themes that merit further exploration. Each of them helps us challenge the conventional understanding of the dynamics of tax policy. The first is that of timing. These four countries were late welfare developers, which meant that the demands placed on the tax capacity of the state is at variance with trends elsewhere, with implications for the constraints and opportunities available to their governments. The second concerns the specific domestic political economy mechanisms involved in these countries’ tax choices, which can be opened out using perspectives drawn from fiscal sociology. The third theme concerns the international political economy, and suggests that the economic and financial vulnerability of countries on the 'periphery' may influence many aspects of their policy choices, including the size of their tax state and the composition of their revenues. This preliminary version of our work focuses on the experiences of Spain and Ireland; further work on Portugal and Greece will follow.
Title: Paying for the Welfare State in the European PeripheryThu, 05 Nov 2015 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/73852015-11-05T00:00:00ZFamily Patterns and Social Inequality among Children in the United States 1940-2012: A Re-assessmenthttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/7372
Abstract: This paper points to a sibsize revolution that occurred among children in lower status families in the United States in the closing decades of the twentieth century. It interprets that revolution as a source of social convergence in children’s family contexts that ran counter to trends towards social divergence caused by change in family structure and has implications for how we understand the impact of family change on social inequality. Using micro-data from the Census of Population and Current Population Survey, the paper presents new estimates of differentials in sibsize and family structure by race and maternal education in the United States for the period 1940-2012. The estimates suggest that as the share of lower status children living in mother-headed families rose in the 1970s and 1980s, their average sibsize declined. The paper discusses some substantive and methodological challenges for existing scholarship arising from these cross-cutting movements and points to questions for future research.
Title: Family Patterns and Social Inequality among Children in the United States 1940-2012: A Re-assessmentTue, 08 Dec 2015 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/73722015-12-08T00:00:00ZWhy do states change positions in the United Nations General Assembly?http://hdl.handle.net/10197/7325
Abstract: Many international organizations deal with repeated items on their agendas. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is no exception as many of its resolutions reoccur over time. A novel dataset on UNGA voting on repeated resolutions reveals considerable, but variable, amounts of change on resolutions by states over time. To shed light on underlying causes for voting (in)consistency, this paper draws on IR literature on negotiations and foreign policy changes to develop hypotheses on the role of domestic and international constraints. Our findings suggest that states with limited financial capacity cannot develop their own, principled, voting positions on all norms on the negotiation agenda. Consequently, these states can be more flexible in adjusting their voting position for reoccurring IO norms and are more prone to change their positions over time. Moreover, states with constrained decision-makers change position less frequently due to pluralistic gridlock. Finally, while large and rich states make a small number of purposive vote shifts, poor and aid-recipient states engage in 'serial shifting' on the same resolutions, a finding suggestive of vote-buying. The prevalence of position changes suggests that the international norm environment may be more fragile and susceptible to a revisionist agenda than is commonly assumed.
Title: Why do states change positions in the United Nations General Assembly?Tue, 17 Nov 2015 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/73252015-11-17T00:00:00ZThe Effect of Sharing a Mother Tongue with Peers: Evidence from North Carolina Middle Schoolshttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/7264
Abstract: This paper provides the first analysis of the relationship between the language mix of Limited English Proficient (LEP) peers and student achievement, using detailed panel data from 2006 to 2012. Percent LEP has a negative association with mathematics and reading test scores, more so for non-LEP students than for LEP students. The overall language mix of LEP students has little if any discernable relationship with achievement. For LEP students, having more LEP peers speak their mother tongue is positively associated with reading achievement and negatively associated with mathematics achievement.
Title: The Effect of Sharing a Mother Tongue with Peers: Evidence from North Carolina Middle SchoolsThu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/72642015-01-01T00:00:00ZClass Size: Does It Matter for Student Achievement?http://hdl.handle.net/10197/7263
Abstract: Reducing class size is a popular education policy measure with parents, teachers, and policymakers. However, research shows that reducing class size leads to, in most cases, only modest improvements in student achievement. Also, students in early grades appear to gain more from smaller classes than older students. Despite extensive research on class size, much about this relationship is still unknown. Policymakers should be aware that reducing class sizes can be costly, is no guarantee of improved achievement, and is only one of many possible reforms.
Title: Class Size: Does It Matter for Student Achievement?Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/72632015-01-01T00:00:00ZAre the effects of height on well-being a tall tale?http://hdl.handle.net/10197/7257
Abstract: Numerous papers have documented a positive association between height and good physical health and also with good economic outcomes such as earnings. A smaller number have argued for an association with well-being. In this paper, cross-country data from Europe is used to analyse whether individuals’ height is associated with higher or lower levels of life-satisfaction. In simple models there is a positive but concave relationship between height and life satisfaction. However it is shown that the results are quite sensitive to the inclusion of controls reflecting demographics, human capital and health status. Where effects do exist, it is predominantly at low to medium levels of height. There is also evidence of heterogeneity across countries.
Title: Are the effects of height on well-being a tall tale?Tue, 01 Dec 2015 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/72572015-12-01T00:00:00ZA model supporting research on children growing up in asylum systemshttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/6999
Abstract: Recent media reports and public policy debates have highlighted concerns regarding the impact on children of growing up in Direct Provision Centres (DP) in the asylum system in Ireland. This system has been criticised for the poor quality of the accommodation in which asylum seekers reside and the inadequate provision of resources, services and supports to meet their basic needs. Children’s development is significantly influenced by their environment. The risks and opportunities experienced at this stage of life can radically influence their social skills, mental wellbeing, and their physical health (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). Evidence suggests that the children of immigrant populations face additional challenges of integration into their host societies (Ager and Strang, 2004). This review of national and international research suggests that these issues are compounded in the case of children growing up in asylum systems. As some children spend between four 4 and eight 8 years living in these institutions, it is critical to assess the developmental consequences of growing up in DP. This paper examines the national and international legislation governing asylum systems, provides an overview of the Irish Direct Provision system and suggests a model under which these cases may be analysed across different societal levels.
Title: A model supporting research on children growing up in asylum systemsFri, 01 May 2015 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/69992015-05-01T00:00:00ZThe Exchange Motive in Intergenerational Transfershttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/6875
Abstract: This article examines the exchange motive in intergenerational monetary transfers, namely current inter vivos transfers and planned bequests. The focus is on the causal effect of child-provided help on transfers from parents to adult children. Cross-sectionally, small transfers and help are positively correlated, with the findings robust to inclusion of child-parent relationship controls and lagged help. In an analysis of first-differenced data, the effect is statistically significant at the 10 per cent level. The analysis of planned bequests reveals no effect of child-provided help, suggesting that inter vivos transfers are better suited to exchange.
Title: The Exchange Motive in Intergenerational TransfersWed, 27 May 2015 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/68752015-05-27T00:00:00ZPolarization or "Squeezed Middle" in the Great Recession? : A Comparative European Analysis of the Distribution of Economic Stresshttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/6874
Abstract: This paper analyses variation in the impact of the Great Recession on economic stress across income classes for a range of advanced European countries. Our analysis shows Iceland, Ireland and Greece to be quite distinctive in terms of increases in their multidimensional income, material deprivation and economic stress profiles. Between 2008 and 2012 these countries moved from being predictably located within anticipated welfare regimes to becoming clear outliers. For this set of counties, each of which was exposed to different but severe forms of economic shock, trends in income class polarisation versus middle class squeeze were variable. Each exhibited substantial increases in levels of economic stress. However, changes in the pattern of income class differentiation were somewhat different. In Iceland a form of middle class squeeze was observed. For income class polarization did not exclude middle class squeeze. Greece came closest to fitting the polarization profile. Changes in the distribution of household equivalent income had no effect on stress levels once the impact of material deprivation was taken into account. Changes in levels of material deprivation played a significant role in accounting for changing stress levels but only for the three lowest income classes. These findings bring out the extent to which the impact of the Great Recession on the distribution of economic stress across classes varied even among the hardest-hit countries. They also serve to highlight the advantages of a multidimensional approach that goes beyond reliance on income in seeking to understand the impact of such shocks.
Title: Polarization or "Squeezed Middle" in the Great Recession? : A Comparative European Analysis of the Distribution of Economic StressThu, 18 Jun 2015 00:00:00 GMThttp://hdl.handle.net/10197/68742015-06-18T00:00:00Z